Life is a Highway
by sparklyunicornvomit
Summary: Modern day AU pre-curse braking. Regina finds herself tired of being alone in the cursed land that she created and decides to become a foster mother. After meeting a cute little girl in Augusta, that little girl comes to live with her as a foster child.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone hope you like the story.**

 **It is based in modern day.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own OUAT or its characters, or the song lyrics in this chapter.**

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Chapter 1

Regina Mills woke up at her normal 6:30am. Looking around she was met with the same feelings and thoughts she had for the past 8 years of this curse. 8 years she spent do the same boring thing day in day out. This was supposed to be her happy ending but instead she had created her own little hell. Don't get her wrong, the first few months were great seeing everyone in their new lives. Especially seeing Snow White without her true love and not even knowing he was the John Doe in the hospital that she was volunteering at.

Regina made her way downstairs as she did every morning, but this time she felt as though it was time for a change. She couldn't keep doing this same old thing for the rest of her life and/or eternity. She severely needed a change. Instead of going to Granny's for her usual apple pancakes, she decided her 'new' life was going to start today. She made herself an omelet and some toast. While she was deciding on what she was going to do to bring something new and exciting to her life. Since her curse had given her a good portion of knowledge about this world she thought her best option would be to foster or adopt a child.

As she finished up with washing the dishes she thought that a child would be much easier to deal with than a baby. And after all she had been a step-mother to Snow White for several years and technically she still was, but she didn't have a clue on how to raise a baby. With her mind made up she was going to drive to Augusta and see what she needed to do to become a foster mother. She called her secretary and told her that she would not be coming into work that day and to cancel all her appointments for the day and she set off leaving town.

After nearly a 2 hour drive she finally made it the Office of Child and Family Services(OCFS). Still sitting in her car, she wonders if she had really thought this through. She did just drive 2 hours on a whim and now she was questioning herself. "Come on Regina pull yourself together." She tells herself trying to work up the courage to get out of the car. "Do you really want to go home and spend god knows how long by yourself?... No." And with that Regina steps out of the car and walks inside.

After a few hours of filling out paperwork, having background checks, interviews and many other things. She was told that someone would be getting in contact with her to set up a home inspection and in the mean time she was given a list of classes and courses that needed to be completed. She didn't know that becoming a foster mother would be this much work and take such a long time. One of the ladies that she had spoken to that day said that even after the home inspection and completing the classes and becoming licensed that it still wasn't a guarantee that she would have a child placed with her right away. She knew that she still wanted to do this. This might be a way that she could find her happy ending, by helping a kid that really needs it. Even after all the evil she has done she couldn't bear the thought of having to spend all that time alone.

After about 10 minutes of driving Regina realized that she was extremely hungry. It had been a while since she had eaten breakfast. She pulls off at a small diner to grab some lunch. She goes in and sits at the counter and opens her menu. Just as she gets done placing her order she feels a tug on the sleeve of her jacket. Looking down she see a small girl with blond hair and bright green eyes looking back at her. "Do you have a quarter?" The little girl asks.

"Sure." Regina says digging in her purse and finds a quarter and hands it to the girl.

Smiling the girl takes the quarter. "Thanks" she says walking over to the jukebox near the door. A few moments later the song Life is a Highway by Tom Cochrane comes on. "This is my favorite song EVER!" the girl says while sitting in the seat next to Regina. "I'm Emma."

Regina smiles at Emma. "I'm Regina."

"Nice to meet you. Do you like this song?"

Regina listens to the chorus of the song. It was very catchy and did like it. "Yes, I think I do." She says laughing to herself.

Emma beamed up at Regina. I knew you would. It's a really good song. I know it is an old song because it came out in the 90's, but the original is the best."

Regina smiled at Emma again. "So where are your parents?"

Regina didn't miss the moment of fear that crossed the young girls face. "They're at work." Emma says nodding to herself.

"And is there no school today as well?" Regina asks raising an eyebrow.

"Um…What about this song?" Emma says and starts to sing along.

There ain't no load I can't hold

Road so rough, this I know

I'll be there when the light comes in

Just tell 'em we're survivors

"Okay, you don't have to answer my questions. Are you hungry?" Regina asks placing a hand on Emma's shoulder. Emma nods her head 'yes'. "So, what would you like to eat?" She says handing her a menu.

After Emma orders a bacon cheese burger and fries she seems to be calmer than before. And once the food arrives Emma nearly inhales her food. "Whoa, slow down there Speedy Gonzales." She tells the girl.

"Sorry… Who is Speedy Gonzales?" Emma asks with a quizzical look.

Regina smiles "You mean you have never heard of Speedy Gonzales?" Emma shakes her head 'no'. "Well let me tell you. He is the fastest mouse in all of Mexico."

Emma nods. "So, he is a cartoon?"

"Yes, he is in Looney Tunes."

"Like Bugs Bunny?"

"Yeah like Bugs Bunny." She confirms laughing slightly.

They finish up their meals while Regina tells Emma about all the Looney Tunes that she didn't know existed. When a lady comes in and notices Emma. "Emma! There you are. You know you can't run away from a placement just because you don't like it." The red headed woman tells the little girl.

Emma lowers her head in defeat. She was really hoping that this time would be different. She had heard about kids running away from a placement and not get caught the same day. This was her third attempt at this and she hoped that the next time she wouldn't get caught. "I know and I'm sorry. At least I didn't get far. And I met a friend. This is Regina and she has been telling me all about the Looney Tunes." Emma says smiling up at Regina. "And she bought me lunch."

The woman shakes her head. "Thank you." She says to Regina.

"No problem." She replies.

"Alright Emma, come on." The woman says extending her arm. "Let's get you back."

Emma jumps down off the bar stool with a sigh. Turning back to Regina she says. "I hope I see you again." And with a last wave she is out the door and getting into the back of the woman's car.

Regina pays her bill and gets back on the road. She had a long drive ahead of her. She turns on the radio to help pass the time and she hears that familiar guitar rift. Smiling to herself she realizes that she had had fun sitting there with that little girl and she secretly hoped that they would meet again. And with that she turns up the volume and starts singing along to the music.

Life is a highway

I wanna ride it all night long

If you're going my way

I wanna drive it all night long

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 **Please let me know what you think and leave a review.**

 **Also, I will try and post the next chapter soon. Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **Thanks, sparklyunicornvomit**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Okay, sorry it took me so long to update.**

 **Hope you like the chapter.**

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Chapter 2

It had been nearly 3 months since Regina had been to Augusta. Since that time, she completed all of her classes and passed her home inspection. Now she was just waiting for a child. And she wasn't going to be waiting much longer because she was contacted a week ago, about a little girl that they would like to place with her. She was excited to say the least. Finally, she would have someone here to help her pass the time. The social worker had told her that this girl could possibly be a long-term placement, which she was perfectly fine with, and that she also might try to run away. With this town, literally being in the middle of nowhere she thought she might not have that much of a problem about that.

Regina was so excited that she even forgot to be mean to Mary Margaret this morning when she bumped into her outside of Granny's. Regina looked at the clock and saw that it was just past 9 in the morning. The social worker had told her that they would arrive around 9:30-10:00. She was trying to busy herself with the paperwork that she needed to catch up on. Most of which was budget reports and things similar. But her mind wasn't in it. So again, she got up walked around her home office checked the clock, which now read 9:23, and walked out to the foyer. She knew that there was a good chance that they would be arriving closer to 10, but she wanted to think that they might be early. She waited about 3 minutes and went back to her paperwork. She had been doing this since around 8:30 this morning.

Finally, she calmed herself enough to actually finish the rest of her paperwork without stopping. She got up and went back to the foyer looking at the clock on her way. 9:46, they should be arriving any moment now. She waited a few minutes before heading into the living room and turning on the TV. She just got into an episode of Gray's Anatomy when the doorbell rang, startling her a little. She turned off the TV, got up and went to the door. Her life was about to change and she was ready. She took a breath and opened the door.

"Regina!" A familiar little blond girl exclaimed when the door opened. "You remember me from that diner in Augusta, right?"

Regina smiled. "Yes, I do Emma." She said and watched Emma's face light up at how Regina actually remembered her.

"Well then, I am glad we get to skip introductions." The red haired social worker said. "Ms. Mills I am glad to meet you again."

"Likewise." Regina says taking the woman's out stretched hand.

"Okay Megan you can go now since I already know her." Emma said trying to push her social worker back to the car.

Megan side stepped the blond. "Oh no, not so fast. I have things to go over with Ms. Mills and you know this young lady." She says walking into the house.

"At least I tried." Emma says carrying her duffle bag behind her.

Megan rolls her eyes and takes a folder to Regina. These have her medical records, school transcripts and just about everything else that you will need to know." She says handing it over to Regina.

After another 30 minutes Megan finally leaves, much to Emma's liking, and Regina starts to show her the house. "Alright, so let me take you to your room." Regina told Emma who was already looking around.

"So, you really live here?" Emma asked turning around to see Regina making her way up the stairs.

Regina nodded. "Yes."

"And you live by yourself?"

"Yes, I do."

"Are you like rich or something?" She asked following Regina down the hall.

Regina laughed. "I guess you could say that. I am the mayor of the town and so the house came with the job."

"Oh," Emma watched as Regina opened the door at the end of the hall to reveal a nice bedroom. "Wow, this is where I will sleep?"

Regina nodded her head yes. "Yeah, is there something wrong with it?" She asked looking around to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anything that should be there.

There was a bed with a pale-yellow bedspread, a nightstand with a small lamp with a floral pattern on the lampshade. A desk on the other wall from the door with a bookshelf over it, and a dresser. Yes, it was a bit plain, but Regina didn't really know anything about the girl that was coming to live with her. All she knew was it was an eight-year-old girl and that they were hoping that getting away from the cities and out into the middle of nowhere would help the young girl think twice about trying to run away.

"No, the room is fine. It's just bigger than what I am used to and I don't have to share which is a little different." Emma said going over and placing her duffle bag onto the bed. She looks around the room and notices two other doors in the room as well.

Regina noticed the quizzical look on her face and follows her gaze to the doors. "Oh, the door on the right is the closet and the left is the bathroom." She says answering the silent question.

Emma nods in response and starts to walk around the room. "Well," Regina says interrupting Emma's thoughts. "I think I will leave you to unpack and then you can come down stairs and we can go get some lunch if you like."

Emma looked up at her and smiled. "Okay, it won't take me long to unpack I don't have much."

Regina leaves Emma to herself and heads back down stairs. Emma looked around the room again this time going over to the closet. She opened the door to reveal a small walk in. She walked back to the bed picked up her bag and set it down in the closet. She opened a pocket and took out her toothbrush, toothpaste and hairbrush and took it to the bathroom. She looked around the bathroom. Like the bedroom it was simple, but nice. She placed the things on the counter and went back to her bag, this time opening the larger pocket and pulled out a white knitted baby blanket. Around the borders was lined with a purple ribbon. And on the bottom corner was her name. Emma.

This blanket was her only connection to where she came from. She had to believe that if someone went through the trouble to make her a blanket then they had to want her. Right? 'No'. She told herself again. 'If they had wanted me then they wouldn't have abandoned me on the side of the road.' She went and placed the blanket under the pillow on the bed. Even though she knew it was silly she still slept with it at night. Especially when she was scared or in a new place. With that she started to head down stairs. She never fully unpacked anywhere because she knew that if she did she would become attached and then she would just be taken away or sent back to the system. She figured that this was just a temporary placement and she knew not to get her hopes up.

Soon after Emma had come down stairs the two of them headed down to Granny's for some lunch. When they walked in though the whole diner fell silent looking at the mayor with a new random child that no one had ever seen before. Emma found the whole situation a bit odd. Why was everyone looking at her like she was wearing an outrageous outfit or something. Regina just lead her over to a booth and they sat down. Emma didn't miss the look that Regina shot the others in the diner. When they saw the look they all seemed to just continue with what they were doing before they had come in.

Emma started to look at the menu when a young woman came up to them. She had brown hair with a red streak in it. "Hello Madame Mayor." The woman greeted. "Who is this?" she added looking at Emma.

Regina smiled. "This is Emma she will be staying with me for a while."

"Oh, well, hi Emma I'm Ruby. Do you know what you would like?" Ruby said with a smile.

Emma glanced back down at her menu. "Um, I think I'll just get a cheeseburger."

Ruby smiled at her again. "And what about you Madame Mayor?"

Regina who hadn't even looked at the menu. "I will have my usual please Ms. Lucas."

"Okay. It will be right up." She said taking their order back over to the counter.

Emma looked around the small diner. "So," Regina said drawing Emma's attention back to her. "I was thinking that tomorrow we could go down to the school in the morning and get you registered to start school on Monday."

Emma nodded in agreement. And they spent the rest of their wait in silence. In fact, they spent the rest of their lunch in silence. Even though Regina had tried to start up a conversation with Emma several times, the girl just seemed to clam up. They spent the ride home in silence as well. The only time Emma really spoke to her again was when she asked to go back upstairs to her room. Regina didn't know what had come over the little girl, but she hoped that it wouldn't last too long. Regina decided to give her a couple of days for her to get settled.

Emma on the other hand had went back up to her room and sat on the bed. She kind of liked Regina and knew that she couldn't get attached. If she got attached then it would make her feel even worse when it was time for her to leave. She honestly hated trying to stay distant. Of course, she wanted to be adopted one day. But she would know who that person would be when they don't send her back and she can actually trust them. Deep down Emma silently hoped that the person who would do that was Regina. Even though she didn't know much about her, she was nice even if she was the only one in this town that could see it.

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 **Please let me know what you think. I hope you liked it.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hope that you guy like this chapter. It took me a while to write it and was starting to get to long so I am splitting up the chapter into two chapters.**

Chapter 3

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Emma woke up bright and early on Monday morning. She hated starting new schools. It was always the same no matter where she went. Only this time the people in this town knew everyone so there was no way to lie that her "parents" just moved here for a new job opportunity. That was the line she used at the last two schools that she went to. It was just easier to tell people that she had parents just like any normal kid her age.

With a sigh, she rolled over to look at the clock. 5:46 is what it read. She still had about another hour that she could sleep. Regina had told her that she didn't have to be up until 6:30. She rolled back over and closed her eyes. She wished she could go back to sleep. She loved visiting her dreams. It always made her feel safe when she was in certain dreams. Other dreams though were more like nightmares then dreams at all.

In one dream that she kept having ever since she was really little was that she was really a princess. She knew that it was a dream especially since her parents in the dream were Snow White and Prince Charming. She smiled remembering the way they would look at her with so much love written on their faces. Those dreams always seemed so real. She loved it. There were even times during the day she would just daydream about going to the Enchanted Forest to be with her make-believe family. And the dreams were never the same. It was almost like she lived there in her sleep just like she lived here during the day. Emma hadn't even realized it but she had fallen back to sleep. Now she was back inside her dream world.

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 **Dream World**

"Emma." Snow said quietly as she entered her daughters room. A smile crossed her face as she saw her little princess fast asleep in her bed. Snow quietly made her way across the room to Emma's bed and sat on the edge. She moved a few stands of hair from her forehead and placed a kiss right in the middle. "Emma, honey, it's time to wake up now."

Emma stirred slowing waking up from her sleep. She opened her eyes to see her mother smiling at her. She rolled over, not yet wanting her sleep to end. But Snow was faster. Before Emma could pull the blanket to her chin Snow was already sitting Emma up into a sitting position. "Come on Emma. Breakfast is waiting."

Reluctantly she got out of bed and got dressed. She let Snow help her with her hair so that it wasn't a tangled mess. And they made their way through the corridors to the breakfast room. As they neared the room Emma's mouth started to water. The smells of porridge, bacon, sausage, toast and various fruits reached her nose. They entered the room and Emma smiled as she saw her father sitting on the other side of the table.

Deep down Emma knew that this wasn't reality that was only made clear when David went to say something and his voice sounded like an alarm clock.

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 **Storybrooke**

Emma woke to the sound of her alarm clock. Glancing over to it she turned it off. She half thought maybe she should just go back to sleep, but no, she got up out of bed, brushed her hair and teeth and put on her school uniform. She started her way down stairs when she stopped. She smelled pancakes… no, not just any pancakes, apple pancakes. Emma started running down the stairs, jumping the last three and ran into the kitchen. "Did you make apple pancakes?" she asked skidding to a halt in front of the island.

Regina turned around to see what the commotion was. She chuckled when she saw Emma standing there looking at her with an excited look on her face. "Yes, I hope you like them."

"Like them?! I LOVE them!" Emma said nearly shouting. "Apples are one of my favorite fruits. "

"I also really like apples." Regina says smiling back at Emma. Regina placed a plate of pancakes in front of her and sat down on the other side of her. Emma poured a little syrup on her pancakes and began eating. She loved these so much. She wished that Regina would make them for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Regina looks over at Emma who is already halfway through with her food. "Hey, I think that we already had a similar conversation before. So, slow down when you eat or you will end up choking." She says giving Emma a look.

Emma nods her head and slows her pace down. "These are really good!" Emma exclaims as she takes another bite. "Can we have these for the rest of our lives?"

At this Regina laughs. "No, but I can say that we can have them for breakfast more often if you like them so much."

"Can we have them for my birthday in three weeks?" Emma asks with a hopeful look on her face.

Regina smiles at her nodding her head. "Of course. Birthdays definitely warrant apple pancakes."

Emma smiles back at Regina. "Also, my birthday is October 23rd. Just in case you didn't know."

"I will remember that." Regina tells her making a mental note of the date. She wondered why she hadn't remembered the date from reading some of the files that Emma's social worker left with her. Maybe she just overlooked it. Seeing as how that day marked the nine-year anniversary of her winning and Storybrooke being created. "So, you're turning ten, right?"

Emma shakes her head 'no' "I'll only be nine." She says giving her a small smile.

Regina smiled back. Emma was born the same day she had enacted her curse. That seemed to Regina to be a bit more than mere coincidence. But, then again hundreds of people were born on October 23rd nine years ago. And probably more than one of them was born in Maine. And besides she didn't even know whether the Charming's had a boy or a girl. This little girl sitting next to her couldn't be the so called 'Savior'. She just couldn't be.

Regina pushed those thoughts from her mind there was no way that this girl was going to be the one to break her curse "So, what do you and to do for your birthday?" She asked.

Emma just looked back at Regina. She had never been asked what she wanted to do for her birthday before. "I don't know." Is all she could say, mainly because it was the truth. She didn't know what she wanted to do. She sat there thinking, she didn't know anyone here in this town. Sure, she would meet people now until her birthday but, she just doesn't like being the center of attention. Emma has never liked that. She finally came to the decision that she didn't want any type of party at all. "Can we just stay in and watch movies?"

"If that's what you want to do then absolutely." Regina says giving her a big smile. Looking up at the clock which told her it was 6:54. "Oh, we need to hurry if we are going to get you to school by 7:15." With that she puts the dishes into the dishwasher and they head out to the car.

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The drive to the school takes all of 15 minutes. Regina takes Emma into the office to find out who Emma has as a teacher and what classroom she will be in. "Good morning, Madame Mayor." An irritating voice said from behind them.

Regina plastered a fake smile on her face and turned around to face the woman. "Ms. Blanchard, good morning."

Emma turned to see the person that Regina was talking to. She froze when she saw the woman that was standing there. Her mouth fell opened slightly, this woman standing in front of her was the same woman who she had seen in her dreams for as long as she could remember. This woman was her fictional mother that she had created in her head and would daydream about sometimes. This was the woman that she had even dreamed about that very morning. This woman was Snow White. No, she couldn't be Snow White, Emma had made up the land of the Enchanted Forest so that it could be her safe place, the place she could go when reality was too much. But then again, here she was standing in front of her, looking at her. Emma didn't know what to do. How could a person from her dreams be here now? She did note that this woman had much shorter hair than the Snow White that she made up, but everything else looks the same. Was she going crazy? Because at this moment in time Emma felt as though she was going crazy.

Regina noticed that when she introduced Emma to Ms. Blanchard that Emma just stared at her with a shocked look on her face her mouth slightly open. Emma looked as though she was in some sort of trance, like she had just been put under a spell of some sort. Regina bent down in front of the young girl shaking her slightly. "Emma?" She asked with no response. "Emma" She said a bit louder this time.

Emma broke from her shocked state and gave Regina a sheepish smile. "Are you okay?" Regina asked her.

"Yeah, I'm okay." Emma said a little bit faster then she meant it too.

Regina who wasn't fully convinced decided to let it slide. "Well Emma, this is Ms. Blanchard, she teaches 4th grade." Regina tells her.

"Actually," Ms. Blanchard chimed in. "Emma is going to be in my class."

"Really? Isn't that wonderful." Regina said trying not to put too much venom in.

Emma smiled at Ms. Blanchard. "Hi, it's nice to meet you."

Ms. Blanchard smiled back at Emma. She was still wondering what had taken over the girl just a moment ago. "It's nice to meet you too. If you like," She says turning back to Regina. "I can take her to the classroom from here and also take her by to grab the textbooks that she needs."

"Thank you," Regina says putting her smile back into place. "Would that be okay with you Emma?"

Emma nods her head and allows Ms. Blanchard to lead her away for her first day of school.

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Three days later Emma had determined that she was probably just being crazy about thinking that Ms. Blanchard was Snow White. She had tried all that first day of school to see if there was any possible way that she could be Snow White. Ms. Blanchard is really nice though but, she is no Snow White. Emma also found that her and Regina get along really well. She didn't want to get close to Regina at all so that when she sent her back it wouldn't hurt as much, but Emma found herself getting closer to Regina without even trying.

Now, Emma found herself in Regina's car heading to the Storybrooke stables. She had kind of been joking with Regina when she found out that Regina liked to ride horses, she said that she liked to ride horses. She never thought that Regina would actually take her to ride horses when she got out of school. And now Emma had to think of some way to get out of this before Regina found out she had told her somewhat of a lie. In reality Emma had never ridden a horse in her whole life and now she was getting very nervous. Especially when they pulled in at the sables.

Regina on the other hand hadn't been riding in such a long time she was excited. She already figured out that Emma didn't actually know how to ride, but she let the girl think that she still had no idea that she had lied to her. To be honest she was wondering if Emma would ever tell her that she couldn't ride a horse or if she would just try to fake it. But before they got out of the car Emma finally spoke up.

"Um, Regina?" She asked timidly.

Regina turned to face the young girl and smiled. "Yeah?"

Emma let out a defeated sigh. "Idon'tknowhowtorideahorse." She said so fast that it all came out together.

Regina furrowed her brow trying to figure out what exactly Emma had just said. "Okay, say that once more time. This time slower."  
"I don't know how to ride a horse." Emma said slower this time hanging her head.

Regina just laughed and Emma looked at her like she had just grown another head. Emma couldn't figure out what was so funny. "I figured that part out already."

"And you still brought me even though I sort of lied?" Emma asked nearly in disbelief.

"Yes, because I am going to teach you how to ride a horse." Regina said getting out of the car.

Emma quickly followed her. Sure, she wanted to learn how to ride a horse, but she still couldn't believe that Regina was going to let her off the hook that fast for lying. She had been in some foster homes that would literally make a kid do all of the chores in the house because they told a lie. So yeah, Emma was wondering if a punishment would come later on. "So, are you mad that I lied about knowing how to ride?"

"No, I'm not mad. And besides, it won't be a lie after today." She said giving Emma a toothy smile.

Emma returned the smile and suddenly started to feel very excited. She thought horses were so cool. And now she was going to get a chance at riding one. She had only been with Regina for about a week and she was already making it hard to keep her distance from her. And if Emma was going to be honest with herself she would say that she didn't want to distance herself from Regina. She felt like Regina was there, like she wasn't going to go anywhere. So today, Emma wasn't going to let her fears of getting close to Regina stop her from having a great time.

As they walked through the stables after getting their helmets on Emma was amazed at all the horses that the small building had in it. She was following Regina who was leading her through the stables. They stop at a beautiful black horse. Regina reached her hand into the stall, giving the horse a good scratch on the jaw as the horse leans into her hand. "This," Regina says breaking their silence. "is Nightingale. She is an old friend of mine."

Emma watches Regina closely as she opens the stall slipping a halter onto the horse and leading it out of the stall. "What kind of a horse is she?" Emma asks reaching up to pet Nightingale's neck.

"She is a Morgan horse." She says smiling. "And this," she motions for Emma to follow her down a few stalls. "is Fernando. He is the horse you will be riding."

Emma looked into the stall and saw a lovely chestnut brown horse look back at her. She suddenly felt much more nervous now. The horse she was going to ride looked bigger than the one Regina was going to be on.

Regina noticed how Emma was now looking much more nervous so she bent down next to her. "Don't worry Emma, Fernando is a good horse he is a bit older and very gentle. He is a great horse to learn to ride on."

Emma just nodded still nervous as one of the workers went into the stall to get him ready to ride. Emma had followed Regina to where she was putting a bridle and saddle on to Nightingale. Emma watched her with fasciation as she fastened all of the straps and buckles. All the while Regina was explaining to Emma what she was doing and why.

Now with both of their horses saddled up and ready to go Regina lead both horses to stand near a fence. She tied both Nightingale and Fernando to the fence. "Okay Emma, first things first. Do you remember what I told you about how to be safe on a horse?"

Emma nodded. She remembered the long monologue that Regina gave her when they first arrived, it was a bit boring but Emma kept listening just in case Regina decided to test her on it. "Okay then," Regina went on. "When you are on the horse remember to hold on to the reins at all time."

Emma nodded again. "Hold on, got it."

"Alright, now to let the horse know where you want to go, you tug on the reins. So, you pull right to go right, left to go left." Regina says while Emma just nods.

"Um, Regina?" Emma asks.

"Yeah Emma?"

"Um how do you make it go and stop?"

Regina chuckles slightly. "Well to go you give it a little poke with your feet and to make it stop you just pull back on the reins. But, if you pull back on the reins for too long the horse will start to back up."

Emma nods again and walks up to Fernando. She looks up at him now trying to figure how she was going to get into the saddle. She didn't think that she could lift her legs that high and still pull herself up. But lucky for her Regina was already bringing over these little steps so that Emma would be able to get up there. "Alright, now let's get you on this horse." She says placing the steps down so that Emma could climb them.

Once Emma was safely on Fernando she unties him from the fence. And does the same to Nightingale. The only difference is she takes the rope off entirely for Nightingale. And once Regina is comfortably in the saddle she ties the rope connected to Fernando to the horn of her saddle. Regina noticed that Emma was watching her curiously. "I think that it would be better if I am able to have a little control over Fernando seeing as how you have never ridden a horse before."

This made sense to Emma so she just nodded and her and Regina headed out. It took Emma a little time but finally she was starting to feel comfortable on Fernando. She would find herself watching Regina and trying to imitate her movements. Regina made everything on a horse look so easy and graceful at the same time. "How long have you ridden horses?" Emma asked after a while.

"Hm, let me think," Regina paused for a moment giving herself time to remember the first time she rode a horse. "I think I was around four or five when I started learning to ride."

"So, did your parents own a horse?" Emma asked still intrigued.

"Actually, we owned a small stable on our land. We had about four horses."

Emma asked Regina about a million more questions before they got back to the stables. This, Emma thinks that she can safely say was the best day in her whole life. Never did she think that after a week she would love this place so much. And she wasn't just talking about the horses. Today had been such a great day and Emma was excited to see what was coming next.

* * *

 **A/N: Please let me know what you guys think of the chapter and thank you so much for reading.**

 **I thought that it would be nice if Emma and Regina went horseback riding, especially since Regina loves riding.**

 **The next chapter is Emma's Birthday! I can't wait to see what you guys think of this chapter and the next.**

 **~sparklyunicornvomit**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It had been another two and a half weeks that Emma had been with Regina. And it was now her birthday. Regina was glad that Emma's birthday happened to fall on a Saturday. Emma had only lived with Regina for a month and already this little girl seemed to already have taken her heart. Regina really wanted this day to be special for Emma, so even though Emma had told her that she just wanted to stay in and watch movies, Regina have a few other things planned for that day.

Keeping her promise, she made apple pancakes and bacon for breakfast. Regina quickly discovered that Emma liked to eat just about anything with bacon. She also made Emma hot chocolate with cinnamon, another thing Emma liked. And with a look at the clock it was about 8:42. So she decided to go and wake up Emma so that her food wouldn't get cold.

Regina reached Emma's door and knocked lightly. She waited just a moment before opening the door. She saw Emma sprawled out on the bed fast asleep. Regina noticed a little knitted blanket that Emma was holding to her. She saw the name Emma on it and assumed that it was her baby blanket. She went over and sat down on the edge of the bed. Regina had discovered that when Emma didn't want to get up that she was a pain to try and get out of bed. So, Regina started to gently shake her awake. "Emma." She says shaking her a little more. "Emma, I made apple pancakes and bacon and hot chocolate."

At this Emma sits straight up in the bed knocking Regina back a bit. "Does it have cinnamon?" She asks now wide awake.

Regina smiles a little evil grin. "Well you'll just have to find out won't you."

And before Regina can say anything else Emma was out of bed and practically running down stairs. Regina got up and made her way down the stairs as well. When she gets back into the kitchen she sees Emma just taking in the smell of her hot chocolate before taking a sip. It makes Regina happy to see how excited Emma was just because of breakfast. She hoped that the rest of the day made the girl that happy. Regina sat down next to the girl and started to eat her own food. It really surprised Regina that she was genuinely happy for a change. Sure, that was the whole reason that she wanted to foster a child, but she didn't expect it to really make her happy.

Emma on the other hand couldn't be happier in this moment. Not only did Regina remember to cook apple pancakes, but she also had made bacon and hot chocolate the way that she liked it. She normally hated her birthday, but this one was starting out great. A lot better than her last birthday. Last birthday she was in a home where the foster dad really could have cared less about the kids in his care and more about just getting high. It was also the same day that she had her wrist broken and was taken out of that home along with the other three kids that was there as well. So, all in all that was one of her worst birthdays to date.

After the two of them finished eating and getting the dishes into the dishwasher, Regina turns to the counter and grabs a small yellow envelope. Handing it to Emma with a smile. "Happy birthday Emma."

Emma returns the smile and opens it to reveal a small hand-written note.

 _Emma,_

 _I know that you said you wanted to stay at home and watch movies, but I have a fun idea. If you want to find your birthday present then you will follow the clues that will lead you there._

 _So, if you are interested head upstairs and get ready for an adventure._

 _Regina_

Emma looked at Regina in confusion. "What do you mean an adventure?" Emma asks not really knowing what 'adventure' entailed.

"Well you will have to find out when you get dressed." Regina says smiling down at the girl.

Emma started up the stairs when she just stopped all of a sudden. And went back down the stairs to the kitchen. "What do I wear?" Emma asks looking at Regina who was putting the syrup back into the cabinet.

Regina turned to face her. "Hmmm, well, I think there maybe another note upstairs telling you what you might need."

And with that Emma was off to find her next clue.

Regina stood there in the kitchen remembering how her father used to do the little scavenger hunt adventures with her on her birthdays. It was her favorite part of any birthday up until she was sixteen. Because at seventeen her mother had her going to balls and dinner parties so that she could find a potential husband. But when she was around Emma's age it was the best part of her year.

Upstairs Emma found the next note in her closet. It was sitting on top of her duffle bag which she still hadn't unpacked. She quickly opened the note.

 _Emma,_

 _Where we are going is going to be fun. So, wear something comfy._

 _Regina_

Comfy? Emma didn't really know what was considered comfy in Regina's book. So, Emma opted for her jeans, long-sleeved t-shirt and her converses. This to Emma was comfy and that was what she was going to wear. She quickly went to the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth. She was almost done with her teeth when she saw another yellow envelope sitting on the counter. She opened it wondering what this one will say.

 _Emma,_

 _There are two places we will be going today. It is up to you to find out where these places are._

 _So, the first place we are going is somewhere you can go around and around all day._

Emma finished up with her teeth and headed back down stairs where she noticed Regina had changed too. She was now wearing similar clothing to Emma which made Emma feel better that this is what Regina meant by 'comfy clothes'. With the clue, still in her hand she walked up to Regina. "Is it go-carts?" She asked not really sure if that was even remotely close.

Regina shook her head 'no'. "Okay, so let me tell you that I have come to realize that I am horrible at making up clues." Regina admitted. She thought it was best to warn her now. And she had no idea how her father came up with all of his riddles. She had wished that that talent had been passed on to her as well.

"Okay, so not go-carts, what about…" Emma stood there thinking. A place where you could go around and around all day. Emma had been roller skating a couple of times. Usually people would travel in the same direction on a circle. "Skating?"

Regina smiled and nodded her head. She grabbed her car keys and they went outside. They got into the car and started down the streets to the skating rink. Emma looked over at Regina, she wondered why Regina was going through this much trouble just for her birthday. It was the one day out of the year that Emma didn't particularly like and usually only pretended to be excited about. But, whatever Regina's reasons Emma didn't care at this point. This was sure to be a birthday that she remembers.

When they arrived at the skating rink Emma's excitement only grew even more. She didn't really know where the next clue would be, but she was excited to look for it. She noticed that Regina was about to just pay for one pair of skates when Emma piped up. "Aren't you going to skate too?"

Regina looked down at Emma curious as to why Emma cared if she skated too. "I don't think so. At least not today."

"But you have to. It will be fun. Trust me." Emma said giving Regina a sweet smile.

Regina who had never roller skated a day in her life was terrified. She didn't want people to see her fall flat on her butt. She was still their queen after all. So, she watched as Emma skated around, while she hoped that Emma would just forget about her. Unfortunately, she was not so lucky. Emma skated right up to her and grabbed her hand.

"Come on Regina," She says pulling Regina to her feet, which Regina nearly fell due to the wheel attached to her feet. "Do you not know how to skate?" Emma asked helping her regain her balance.

Regina sighed. "No, I don't."

Emma looked up at Regina with a smile. "Well then, I will just have to teach you so that you can have fun too. And besides you taught me how to ride a horse so now I'm teaching you how to skate."

"Emma, I really don't think this is a good…" Regina started, but was cut short when Emma had gone behind her and started to push her towards the hard wood floor.

"Don't worry so much it will be fun and if you fall you fall. You've probably fallen off of a horse before and this will hurt a lot less than that." Emma said trying to encourage her.

As soon as Regina's skates got on to the wooden floor they had a mind of their own. She had to brace herself with the wall to try and keep herself from falling. Emma who now had a grip on her arm was helping her stay up. Once Regina had regained her balance for the second time Emma moved her hand to take Regina's. "We can stay close to the wall so that you can grab it if you think you're going to fall." Emma said to her.

Regina just nodded and listened to Emma's instructions on the 'proper way to skate', according to Emma. As Regina started to get the hang of it she allowed Emma to take her farther away from the wall. Regina was now gaining a bit of confidence, although she still would not let go of Emma's hand. She was really enjoying herself now that she wasn't scared of falling every few seconds. But, like all good things they have to come to an end. When Regina looked up at the clock to see if it was time for Emma to find her next clue, she lost her balance and landed hard on the floor taking Emma with her.

Emma looked over at Regina to see if she was okay. And after making sure that she was, she just laughed and Regina soon followed suit. Regina didn't really know if she was laughing because it was funny or if it was more out of embarrassment. Either way they both couldn't control their laughter. So, after they both got back on their feet and deemed it time to go, Regina turned in the skates and the lady behind the counter gave Emma her next clue.

 _Emma,_

 _Your next clue is at a place on the coast where the land meets the sea._

"The beach." Emma said not needing much time to figure out where the next clue would be.

The two of them got into the car and drove down to the beach. The only thing that Emma couldn't figure out is why they would be going to the beach in the middle of October. There had to be some reasonable explanation for it.

Once they got to the beach they got out of the car and started down to the boardwalk. Emma still hadn't figured out what in the world they could be doing at the beach. But, as the ocean came into view they heard a massive clap of thunder causing both of them to jump. And as if on que, the sky stared to drop buckets of water. Regina grabbed Emma's hand pulling her back towards the car.

"What about the next clue?" Emma asked, not moving from her spot.

"Emma, we should go back to the car. The rest of the clues don't matter." Regina said giving Emma another tug.

Just then another loud clap of thunder rung out followed by a streak of lightning. This was all the encouragement Emma needed to get her feet moving, both now running to the car. And by the time they got there, they both were soaking wet from the rain. Neither spoke as Regina drove home with the heater on the car at full blast trying to dry out their clothes.

Once they were in the house they both headed up stairs to get changed into something dry. As Emma came down the stairs she noticed that Regina had had the same idea that she did, comfy PJs. Emma walked into the living room where Regina was busy making a fire in the fireplace.

"What was the next clue?" Emma asked sitting down on the couch.

Regina got up from the floor and sat down next to Emma. "Well, the next clue after the beach was to head back here." She said smiling.

Emma furrowed her brow "Why?"

"Well, that must mean that your present is nearby." She says gesturing her hands around the house.

"Where?" Emma asked jumping up off the couch to start looking around.

"Try upstairs, in your room." Regina says watching the girl takeoff up the stairs.

Emma runs into her room and starts looking everywhere she can think of. But there is nothing. She can't find a single thing missing. She starts to double check everything in the room. Under the bed? Nope. In the desk? No. Bathroom? No.

Emma walks back out and sits down on the bed. Where hasn't she looked? Emma looks around the room once more, a little slower until her eyes land on the one thing in the room that slipped her mind. The dresser. She walks up to it and opens each drawer until she reached the middle drawer. Inside a small box wrapped in a sliver wrapping paper caught her eye. It was the only thing in the drawer so it would have been impossible to miss. She carefully picked up the box and sat with it on the bed. She wasn't sure what it was. No one had really gotten her a birthday present before. Well, sure she had been given things before but, not anything she was able to keep. Most things were toys and things that were too big to take with her.

Emma carefully unwrapped the present and opened the box. Inside she found a lovely necklace with a little round pendent in it with a little swan. Looking at it Emma smiled. It was perfect. She looked up at the door where to her surprise Regina was standing. She hadn't heard her come up. Emma went up to Regina wrapping her arms around her middle in a hug. "Thank you."

Regina returned the hug placing her chin to rest on Emma's head. "You're welcome, I hope you like it."

"I love it." Emma says breaking their hug. She lifted the necklace out of the box so that Regina could help her put it on.

Once they went back downstairs Regina made them both lunch and they spent the rest of the day laying around the living room watching movies. This was sure to be Emma best birthday she could ever remember.

* * *

 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading. And please let me know what you think. I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can.**

 **~sparklyunicornvomit**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Regina had let Emma out at the bus stop before continuing on her way to work. Once she was out of site, Emma starting to walk in the opposite direction of the bus. She was on a mission, she had to find something for Regina to give her on her birthday. It was Friday and this was her last chance to find something for her without Regina being there. As she was walking down the street a gust of wind picked up and it sent a shiver down Emma's spine. Once she reached her destination, Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer, she walked into the shop and loved that it was nice and warm inside. She quickly got to work looking at all the different trinkets and bobbles that the store was full of. She wasn't entirely sure what she should get Regina. She was thinking something simple, like…

Emma's thoughts were quickly silenced when she looked in one of the cases along the side of the room and noticed a small golden necklace. It had a small chain and a little 'R' at the end in the middle of a circle. She didn't know if Regina would like it or not but she thought that it would be a nice gift. She only had $15 to work with because that was all that she was able to save up before Regina's birthday. She had been really excited when Regina had told her that she would be getting an allowance. She got $5 a week if she did all of her chores, made sure that her room and bathroom was clean and if she had all of her homework finished each night.

As Emma turned around to look and see if she could find someone who could open the case for her, a man with a cane walked out from behind a curtain. "Ah, hello young lady, what can I do for you?"

"Um, hi, how much is this necklace?" Emma asked pointing at the one she was referring to.

The man walked over to the case and pulls out the necklace. "Hmm, let's see," He says looking at the tag on the necklace. "It appears to be $13.79."

Emma's face lit up. "I would like to buy it please."

The man nodded as he walked over to the register to ring Emma up. "I do not believe that we have met. I am Mr. Gold." He says talking the money from the young girl.

"I'm Emma."

"Emma, my what a lovely name." He says as all of his memories came flooding back. "And who might you be buying the lovely necklace for?"

Emma gave him a small smile. "My foster mom, Mayor Mills."

"Ah, I had heard that she was fostering a child."

He hands Emma her change a little bag containing the necklace. "Well, thank you Mr. Gold, but I really should be heading to school now before I'm late."

"My pleasure Emma. And I do hope I see you again soon." Mr. Gold says giving Emma a smile.

She returns the smile and starts towards the door. She didn't get a good feeling from Mr. Gold and wanted to put as much distance between them as possible as she left the store.

Mr. Gold watched as Emma went on her way. As he started walking into the back room of his shop he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. As he thought about how ironic it was that the savior was now living in the same house as the Evil Queen herself. He wondered if Regina even knew who Emma was. Mr. Gold furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. It had only been 9 years since the curse was enacted. Emma wasn't supposed to break it until she was 28. The rumors of Regina fostering a child had started about 2 months ago. And in that time, nothing had happened. The clock was still stuck on 8:15. Gold decided that right now he should start busying himself and figure out what it means now that Emma is in town 19 years early. And also, now that his memories were restored he was certain that Regina still had all of her memories. He chuckled again when he remembered that Regina had to do anything he asked as long as he said please. He wasn't sure when he would use this magic word. He didn't want Regina to know that he was awake just yet.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Emma made her way back down main street, she hurried down the sidewalk so that she wouldn't be late for school. As Emma was passing Granny's, her heart sank as she saw Regina walking out with a to-go cup of coffee. She tried to speed up her pace but it was too late. Regina saw her just as a few snowflakes started to fall. "Emma! Why are you not at school? Did you not get on the bus?" Regina asked as she approached.

"Um, I didn't get on the bus because I needed to do something before school started, but I'm heading there now so you don't have to worry." Emma said trying to give her most convincing smile.

Just as Regina opened her mouth to say something, a gust of frigged air made her tighten her coat a little more. "Well, I don't want you walking to school in this weather. Come on I'm going to drop you off at school on the way to work."

They both climbed into the Mercedes park on the curb. Both of them relishing in the warmth of the heater as the car started down the street. As they got closer to the school Regina turn to glance at Emma. She was looking out the window as the little flurries swirled around outside of the passenger window. She didn't want to think about how this snow would be at 3:30 when Emma got out of school. She usually felt comfortable with Emma walking the short distance to town hall from the school, but today she didn't know how bad it would be. The news that morning said that there was the potential of a record amount of snow fall in the towns history. "Emma, I don't want you to walk to my office in this mess. The news is thinking that it might turn into a bad storm so I am going to pick you up from school okay."

"Okay." Emma said with a nod.

They made it to the school and Emma jumped out of the car to head inside. Surprisingly she wasn't late and actually made it to school with 3 minutes to spare. Emma couldn't help but wonder whether or not Regina would really like the necklace that she had gotten her. Just after lunch Emma sat at her desk watching the Snow slowly fall down to the ground. She loved the snow, loved watching it swirl and float and be pushed around by the wind. For some reason Emma couldn't get her encounter with Mr. Gold out of her head. Something about the man didn't set right with her. He seemed fine until she told him her name then there seem to be a shift or something. She didn't know what that was but she knew one thing. She didn't trust him. She had learned early on in life to trust your gut and her gut was telling her not to trust him.

Sure, there was the odd occasion where her gut instinct let her down but, that was a because she had a hard time trusting anyone. That probably came from the multiple homes that she had been in in the past 9 years. Emma really did want to trust people, or well one person, Regina. But, there was still that fear of Regina getting tired of her and sending her back or even just being taken away from here without warning to be placed somewhere else. This had been the best place that she had ever been. She really didn't want to mess this up. She felt as though Regina was different. She had been with two families that she had thought had been a good place. Both had even said they wanted to adopt her. The first had been when she was 3 but, they sent her back when they found out they were going to have a baby of their own. The second was when she was 5 and they sent her back because they said that she was too much to handle. And that was when Emma decided she wouldn't be hard to handle and she would keep her mouth shut when she was placed anywhere.

It wasn't until last year that she started trying to run away. She was tired of not having any control over where she was placed and so when she didn't like where she was she would just run…or try to at least. When she had meet Regina, she had only been gone for maybe 2 hours. Once Megan had picked her up she went back to the same place that she had just left.

Emma was brought back out of her thoughts by a hand waving in front of her face. She looked up to see the owner of the hand, who was Ms. Blanchard. "Are you okay Emma?" She asked in a worried tone.

Emma nodded in response. "Yeah just thinking."

"About the history lesson or something else?"

"Um…history?" She responded more like a question rather an answer.

Ms. Blanchard nodded. "Okay then, what was I just talking about?"

"Dead people." Emma stated matter of factly.

"Which dead people specifically?"

"George Washington?"

Emma could tell by laughs and giggles from her classmates that she had guessed incorrectly. She knew her face was probably bright red.

"Emma, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to call Mayor Mills this time." Ms. Blanchard told her with a stern look to match her tone.

Emma started to shake her head as she felt tears stinging her eyes. "Please Ms. Blanchard, I'm sorry I will not do it again. Just don't call Regina." She pleaded not wanting Regina to know. She wasn't ready to have Regina send her back like everyone else did.

"I'm sorry Emma, but this is the fourth time today that you have not been paying attention in class, and it is the third time this week. I have to call her this time.

Emma hung her head, she could hear the other kids in her class whispering, giggling and making jokes about her. So, with that she jumped up from her desk, ran over to her cubby to grab her jacket and her bookbag and rushed out the door. All the while Ms. Blanchard was calling after her telling her to stop. Emma didn't care though. She just ran out of the closest exit that she saw and continued to run. Once she could no longer see the school she stopped to pull on her jacket gloves and knit cap. The snow was still falling and Emma continued to walk away from the school.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Regina was sitting at her desk listening to yet another of Mr. Spencer's schemes that he believes would help "benefit" the entirety of Storybrooke, when in reality Regina can see that it is just another way for him to promote is law firm. He usually came in to her office about once or twice a month talking about the same old thing only in a different light. And every time he finished Regina wouldn't approve his plan. When her cell phone started to ring she excused herself and walked to the other side of her office to have some sense of privacy.

"Hello Mayor Mills." Regina answered with her standard greeting.

"Madam Mayor, It's Ms. Blanchard. Emma was and has been distracted in class a lot lately and when I told her that I was going to have to call you, she freaked out, grabbed her things and ran out of the school."

Regina's heart dropped. She started to feel a panicked feeling settling in her chest. "Thank you, Ms. Blanchard, for letting me know but, I am a little confused as to how the school could allow a 9-year-old to leave the school property without a parent or guardian there to pick them up." She said feeling extremely annoyed at Snow White's lack of control over her students.

"Well Madam Mayor, I did try to stop her but, unfortunately I was not able to. I couldn't just leave a classroom full of students alone." Mary Margaret defended.

"No, of course not. Thank you, Ms. Blanchard, I can manage from here." Regina said curtly and quickly ended the call. "Mr. Spencer," She addressed the man at her desk while she walked over packing up her things. "I'm afraid that we must cut this short. There is a more urgent matter I must attend to."

She grabbed her purse pulled on her coat and headed to the door. "You can reschedule again if you like, but I can go ahead and tell you that no matter how many meetings you schedule the answer will always remain the same." She informed him while walking out of the door. "Deborah," She says walking past her secretary's desk. "Cancel the rest of my appointments for today."

With that Regina was out the door and down the stairs. She didn't know how far Emma would have gotten because she didn't even know if Mary Margaret called her at the time she left or if she waited to try to figure out how she would tell her that _her_ child was missing. Wait, her child? No, the child that she was looking after. Regina had caught herself a number of times over the past few weeks referring to Emma as her child, or her daughter. She didn't know where that had come from but, she wasn't opposed to the idea that Emma could be her daughter.

As Regina exited the building she could tell that the snow was starting to fall heavier. She had to find Emma soon, this weather was really starting to get bad and she didn't want her out in this sort of stuff. She quickly cranked her car and pulled out of the parking lot. She had no idea where to start looking. She tried to think of places that Emma could know how to get to.

Regina started off towards her house, she didn't know if Emma would have gone home but she hoped that would be the case. But, after a quick look through of the house she discovered that Emma had not come back to the mansion like she had hoped. So, she set out again even in more of a hurry. It was cold out, she didn't want to find Emma frozen to death. She wanted to find her safe and warm. If she couldn't find her soon then she would have to call Graham. She didn't want that to happen. She was sure that Emma had a perfectly good explanation as to why she had left school. Regina knew that if Emma's social worker found out about this, she would have Emma placed somewhere else because her file said that she was a flight risk. Her file also said that she has a hard time with following rules and has little respect for authority. But something that that dumb file doesn't say is how sweet Emma is. How she loves to help with dinner. How she has an amazing personality and has a great sense of humor. The file doesn't tell you how Emma found a love for riding horses, or how she likes to watch the waves crash over the rocks on the rocky beaches of Storybrooke…

Then it hit Regina. She knew exactly where Emma would be. She quickly drove to the coast line and parked in the small gavel parking lot. She looked over and saw a small figure sitting on an old wooded castle playset looking out at the ocean. Regina made her way over to the castle and climbed up and sat next to the little girl. "So, what's up doc?" Regina asked trying to make Emma a little less nervous.

Emma let out a small smile at the Looney Toons reference. "Nothing, just thinking." She replied looking down at her gloved hands.

"Do you want to share some of those thoughts?"

"Emma just kept her head down. There was a long silence that followed Regina question and just as Regina was going to say something else, Emma spoke up. "I've messed this up, haven't I?"

Regina looked at the blonde girl quizzically. "Messed what up?"  
"This," Emma said gesturing between the two of them. "You're going to send me back now, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about?" Regina asked genuinely confused.

"Everyone sends me back because they don't want me anymore. The minute it seems like I might cause trouble, people just call my social worker and I get placed in another home." Emma didn't want Regina to see her cry, even though she knew that the tears that threatened to fall would soon do so, she didn't want Regina to see, so she kept her head down.

Regina forced Emma to look up at her. She could see the unshed tears in Emma green eyes. "Listen to me. I am not sending you anywhere, okay? I don't want you to think that I'm like all those other people who hurt you. To be honest, I would love it if I could adopt you Emma."

Emma's eyes went wide. She never thought that anyone would want to adopt her after the last people who said that. "Really? You want to adopt me?"

Regina nodded. "Emma, I have lived on my own for a really long time. At first, I thought it would be okay. But, after a while I realized that something was missing from my life. I didn't know what that was, so, I decided sort of on a whim to start fostering. And that was the day that we first met." Regina paused to give Emma a moment to prosses this before continuing. "Sense that day, I was so excited to be able to start fostering a child and then low and behold, here you come walking through my front door. And over the past few months that I have gotten to know you, I can honestly not picture my life without you there. So, if you like when we get home I would love to call Megan and tell you to start the paperwork to adopt you. But only if you want me to be your mom."

Emma didn't know what to say. No one had ever told her that they wanted to be her mom. So, Emma did the only thing that felt right. She threw her arms around Regina and hugged her. "I want you to be my mom." Emma whispered just loud enough for Regina to hear.

Regina couldn't help but smile and return the hug at the words that she heard Emma say. Maybe this curse is going to bring her the happy ending that she has been waiting for. If she was being honest with herself she really didn't want this moment to end. She was happy, so happy that Emma wanted her to be her mom, hopefully as much as Regina wanted to be her mom. But when Regina felt a shiver come from the small blonde she remembered that Emma had been out in this weather for god know how long. She pulled back out of the hug and took Emma's hand. "Come on, we should get you home and warm you up before you catch your death out here."

Emma nodded in response and walked back to Regina's car. It wasn't until she got into the car, which was still a lot warmer then outside, did she realize just how cold she was. She couldn't stop the shivers from happening as her body started to warm up.

Regina started the car and turned the heat on full blast. She also realized that she never found out why Emma left school. All that she knew was the little bit that Ms. Blanchard had told her. But right now, she thought that the best thing to do was get Emma home and into a hot bath. The whole school incident could wait until Emma was warmed up. By the time they got home it was snowing heavier than it had been all day. They quickly made their way inside and headed upstairs. Regina ran Emma a warm bath and told her to come down when she had finished.

Regina waited for Emma downstairs and decided to call Marco to bring her more firewood to be on the safe side. Once she was off the phone she decided to call Megan. To tell her that she wanted to start the process of adopting. The conversation lasted longer than she had expected and by the time she was off the phone, Emma had come downstairs. She heard the telltale signs of Star Wars from the living room.

Regina joined Emma on the couch and watched through all of A New Hope when Regina turned off Netflix. Emma knew what was coming. She started to play with the edge of the blanket that her and Regina had been sharing. Regina turned to face Emma, noticing that the girl was nervous. "So, do you want to tell me what happened at school today?" She asks calmly.

Emma shook her head. She didn't want Regina to know why she was distracted in school, she also didn't want her to know why she left. She hated that the was scared to tell her. But then again, everyone else who she really opened up to sent her away.

"Come on, I know that you don't want to talk about it, but I do really want to know what happened." Regina tried again, but Emma remained silent. Regina thought back to their conversation back at the castle. She thought that maybe that was what was keeping Emma from talking. She thought maybe that it was time to tell her about the conversation that she had had with Megan just before they started watching the movie. "Emma, before I came in here I got off the phone with Megan;" Regina noticed a sad glint in Emma's eyes. "I told her that I wanted to start the prosses of adoption. And I want you to know that I'm not the type of person to go back on a decision that I made. I meant what I said today at the park. I want to adopt you and nothing you could ever possibly tell me is going to make me change my mind. I really love you Emma and I do want to be you mom."

Emma sat there and let Regina's words sink in. Did Regina really love her? No one had ever said that to her before. She really wanted to believe it, but her experiences made it hard for her to trust that anyone would truly want her. Finally, Emma relented. She was going to trust Regina when she said that she really wants to be her mom. She didn't know what that would entail, seeing as she had never had a real mom before. She sighed and started to tell Regina what had happened at school. "Well, I was thinking about something really important, so I wasn't really listening to the lesson. So, when Ms. Blanchard asked me what she was just talking about, I didn't know the answer. So, then all of the kids in my class started to laugh at me." She paused for a moment to try and figure out the best way to tell Regina why she left school. "Then when Ms. Blanchard said that she had to call you, I didn't want her to. So, I panicked when the kids started to laugh again."

Regina wasn't mad at Emma, but she was livid with Snow White. She should have reprimanded the children that were laughing. And surely, she should have known not to make that big of a scene in front of the students. Regina really didn't know how she was going to handle the school situation after the break but, she was going to handle it. "Emma, Ms. Blanchard could have handle the situation better. But, that doesn't mean you can just run off okay? I was really worried about you. This weather is getting bad out there. I was scared that when I did find you, that you would be a popsicle. I didn't want to have to call in Graham to help look because then he would have to report it to your social worker."

Emma nodded because she understood that if her social worker found out that she had ran off she would be moved to a new place.

Just then the doorbell rang. Regina got up and walked out to the door. She smiled when she saw Marco standing there. "Hello Marco, please come in." She greeted moving to the side so that he could bring two large bundles of wood inside.

"Hello Madam Mayor. I have stacked the rest of the wood just inside the garage so that it doesn't get wet from the snow."

"Thank you, Marco." She says leading him into the living room to put the wood down next to the fireplace.

"Well, I better be going. It's getting bad out there. Please Madam Mayor, stay out of this weather. There is a lot of ice on the roads already. I know that the road crews have put out salt but, you wouldn't really know it." He says walking back towards the door.

"Please be careful on your way home." Regina says opening the door and seeing just how bad it had gotten since she and Emma had started their movie. The snow was coming down in sheets, making it difficult to even see the road from the porch.

"Oh, I will be Madam Mayor, no worries. But I will say that this is the worst weather I have ever seen here in Storybrooke. Stay warm, I heard on the radio that they are thinking power may go out in some places. If this ice starts to build up on the power lines, I wouldn't be surprised." He says walking off of the porch. "Be safe Madam Mayor."

And with a last wave Regina walked back inside the house. If the weather was going to continue to be this bad then they should prepare for the power to go out. It would only be a worst-case scenario, but she would rather be safe than sorry. Walking back into the living room she noticed Emma staring out the window watching the snow fall. She Remembered doing that as a child. Her father would take her out to play in the snow and help her build snowmen, forts, and just about anything else that they could think of. She could still remember the first time that her father had taken her on a sleigh ride. That had been one of her favorite childhood traditions that she thankfully was able to keep up when she became queen.

She walked over and sat on her knees on the loveseat with her arms rested on the back, mimicking Emma's pose. "So, tell me, would you be up for helping me get somethings out of the garage?" Regina asked hoping that the answer would be yes.

"Sure." Emma said hopping off the of the loveseat and heading over to the door.

Regina quickly joined her as they made their way to the garage. If the storm was as bad as the news was predicting then she would rather have some emergency candles and extra flashlights inside the house so that they wouldn't have to try and get them in the dark. Once in the garage Regina saw just how much wood Marco had brought. In Regina's opinion, there was enough wood to last her the rest of the winter if the power didn't go out. But if the power did go out then it would be enough to keep the fireplace going for about a week. Regina quickly loaded Emma up with various items and they took them into the living room.

"Why are we bringing the stuff in here?" Emma asked placing the items in her arms onto the coffee table.

"Well if the power were to go out we would come in here because of the fireplace. We would be able to stay warm."

Regina looked over at the grandfather clock. It was close to time to start dinner. She really wasn't sure as to what to make. With all the time she spent worrying about Emma she hadn't even thought about food. "What would you like for dinner?"

Emma didn't really know what to eat for dinner. The whole time she had been here Regina usually had dinner already planned out. "Um… what about … spaghetti?"

"Okay, but only if you help me." Regina said knowing that Emma like to help out in the kitchen.

Emma nodded vigorously and practically ran to the kitchen. Regina following close behind her. They made quick work of making the dish. Regina took note of how eager Emma was to learn how to cook and did exactly what Regina told her.

As they ate Regina told Emma the consequences of running out of school like she did. Not only was Emma going to be doing extra chores around the house but she would also not get her allowance for two weeks and no TV during that time. Once dinner was over Emma helped wash the dishes while Regina dried and put away. Afterwards they both went upstairs to get ready for bed.

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Across town Mr. Gold sat in the back of his shop going over as much of the material as he could find on the dark cures. He was looking for any clue as to what would happen now that the Savior was here a little too early. Getting tired of finding nothing in the dusty old books that had collected dust over the last 9 years he quickly got up, shoving the book he was currently looking at to the side. This was pointless. He couldn't find anything in any of the books that he could find. He looked out the window and saw that the snow was getting worse. He may be immortal when he was back in the Enchanted Forest, but here, in a land without magic, he was fairly certain that he could die if he wasn't careful.

With that he bundled up and made his way to his car. He had had to park on the other side of the street today which was unusual. Once at his car a movement caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. Looking up he saw straight away that the clock tower no long said 8:15 like it had for the past near decade. But instead it read 8:16. A smile crept onto Mr. Gold's face as he realized that Emma was now going to stay in Storybrooke. Time was no longer standing still. He couldn't wait to see how Her Majesty was going to react when she realizes that the one that was going to break her curse was right there in her house.

Getting into his car he drove away to his house as the clock stuck 8:17.

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 **Thank you so much for reading. And I'm really sorry it took me so long to post this chapter. Between work and life things just kept getting in the way. I already have chapter 6 underway so hopefully it will be posted by next week.**

 **Thanks again**

 **~sparklyunicornvomit**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys, sorry it took longer than a week to upload this chapter. I unfortunately had a kidney stone and didn't really feel up to writing. If you haven't had one of those consider yourself so lucky. I really wouldn't wish that on anyone.**

 **Well anyways, here is the next chapter and as always, I hope you all enjoy it.**

Chapter 6

Emma found herself standing in a long corridor that she recognized as one from her family's castle. She walked down the corridor nearing a flight of stairs. She could hear the sound of a battle going on outside in the courtyard. Her heart started to pound against her ribcage as she slowly started to descend the stairs. She wanted to find her mother or her father. They had to be here somewhere. She picked up her pace and started to franticly search for them.

She could still hear the sounds of swords and metal clashing outside. But inside it was too quiet. She ran through the halls and looked into every room that she came across looking now for anyone. Finally, she saw her father standing beside a window. She ran to him as she called out to him. He turned to face her bending down to engulf her with a hug. "What's happening?" Emma asked not wanting to let go of the man.

"It's the Evil Queen. She has returned to the land and is now trying to gain entry to the castle."

"I thought that you and mother defeated her." She says a little confused as to why the Evil Queen would return now.

Charming nods his head. "We thought that she wouldn't return once we banished her to another realm. We had no idea that she would form an army to come back here with her."

"Where is mother?" Emma asks suddenly panicked.

"She is fine. She is up on the walls helping the archers." He explains trying to calm his little princess.

Emma nods. "Why are you not helping to fight too? I thought that kings have to fight until the final enemy is killed."

"I was fighting but, when the fighting started to get so close I had to come back for you. Come, let's get out of here." He says taking Emma's hand and leading her down another corridor. He lets go of her and to draw his sword and then he's gone.

Fear sinking back into Emma she looks around calling for her father, but he is not anywhere to be seen. She stops calling for a minute and realizes that she can no longer hear the battle raging on outside. She quickly runs back down the hall and out the first door that she sees. The door had lead out to the courtyard where it was once a dark battlefield and now it's daytime and clean with lots of people standing around.

"Princess Emma," A man in a guard's uniform greets her. "Shouldn't you be with the King and Queen?"

"Where are they?" Emma asks now completely and utterly confused about what is going on.

The guard leads her over to a set of stairs. She climbs them quickly and sees her father and mother sitting in their thrones. She rushes over to hug her mother glad that she obviously survived the battle. "Emma, I'm glad that you're here now. Please have a seat." Snow says to her motioning to a seat next to her.

Emma takes her seat and that's when she notices the giant guillotine positioned in the center of the courtyard. Her stomach dropped when she realized that the whole reason she was out here was to see someone be beheaded.

A man walks out next to the guillotine and started to address the people reading out a list of reasons Emma assumed was why they would be killed. On the list was things such as mass murder, murder of a king, treason, multiple attempted murder on the crown princess Snow White. And then Emma put two and two together. She was about to witness the execution of the Evil Queen. Her parents must have captured her during the battle. They walked a woman out from a doorway. Emma couldn't see her face due to the long dark hair covering it. She watched as the woman slowly made her way up the steps leading to her death. Then Emma caught a glimpse of her face and her heart started pounding. The woman standing in front of her as the list of crimes was still being read was Regina.

Tears started to well up in Emma's eyes. She couldn't see this. There had to be a mistake. Why would Emma's mind play such a cruel trick on her. Emma knew that this was one of her dreams but she couldn't watch the woman that wanted her, that wanted to be her mother be executed. "Please," She said letting the tears fall as she turned to her parents. "Don't let them kill her please."

Both Snow and Charming looked at their daughter with concern. "Emma," Snow started. "The Evil Queen must be punished for the crimes that she has committed. Not to mention that she killed my father and tried so many time to kill me to the point that she would kill those who were just trying to help me."

"I don't care what she did. You can't kill Regina, you just can't." Emma pleads, unable to control the sobs now coming from her.

"Emma," It was Charming turn. "If we let her live then she will only try to kill us again. I am not going to allow you or your mother be in that type of danger." He states turning back to the execution.

Emma looks and sees that Regina is looking right at her with a sad expression on her face. As the man finishes the list, Regina is forced to kneel so that her head and neck can be positioned. And with that Emma buries her face in her hands as she hears the lever that controls the blade move.

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Emma wakes up just as she heard the lever move. She feels the tears flowing down her cheeks. She starts to panic when she can't see anything. She never went to sleep without a light on. She was scared of the dark. She quickly remembered that she had put a flashlight under her pillow. Fishing it out she clicks it on. She tries to turn on the lamp but it doesn't work. The dream that she had had was so real. She couldn't help the tears that was still coming. She needed to make sure that Regina was okay. She couldn't help but think that her dream may have actually hurt Regina in some way. She quickly makes her way through the dark hallway to Regina's door. She pushes it open to see Regina asleep. Emma quickly makes her way over to the bed and crawls up under the blankets snuggling into Regina.

The feeling of a small body pressed against her woke Regina. After a second she can see that its Emma and after another moment she can see that the small girl has been crying. "Emma? What's wrong?" She asks pulling Emma closer to her.

Emma just shakes her head. She starts to relax into Regina and a new set of tears start up. These tears were not tears of fear, these were more of relief that Regina really was okay. Emma rolled over to return Regina's hug. Regina could tell that something had obviously upset Emma. Regina's heart broke as she rubbed soothing circles on Emma's back as she whispered comforts to her. She hoped that once Emma's sobbing subsided a little that she would tell her what had happened.

They stayed like this for a longtime. Regina never stopping the comforting things. Finally, Emma's sobs slowly turned in to hiccups and then to sniffles. "What's wrong honey?" Regina asks trying to find out why Emma had come in there in tears.

"I had a bad dream and then when I woke up the power was off and I got really scared and I didn't want you to be dead-" Emma explains stopping when she realized what she had said.

Regina pulled Emma closer to her. "I'm not going anywhere okay? It was just a dream. I'm not going to die."

"I know. I tried to tell them not to kill you but they did. And when I woke up I was just so scared and the light was off."

"Who were you trying to stop?" Regina asks not really sure if she wants to know who killed her in Emma's nightmare.

"Ever since I was little I had this dream world where I was a princess and my parents were the king and queen. Well the dream that I had, started out with me alone in the castle and I could hear swords and people fighting outside and then it changed to where it was daytime and there was no more fighting. But instead they had a big thing out there that chops people's heads off. Then they started saying a bunch of crimes that had been committed then you were brought out and so I begged them not to kill you but they said that because you where the Evil Queen that you had to be punished for killing the queen's father and for trying to kill the queen and making her have to run away and hide."

Regina's heart stopped when she heard what Emma was telling her. Had Emma really just told her that she was the Evil Queen? How could a 9-year-old girl that was from this land know any of that? "Who was the queen?"

And then Emma says the two words that Regina didn't want to hear. The two words that would solidify what she has been denying the whole time Emma has been with her. "Snow White."

Regina closes her eyes not really wanting to accept that Emma is here to break her curse. "Did you say that the power was out?" She asks trying to distract herself from the whirl of emotions that she felt. She now understood the reaction that Emma gave when she first met Ms. Blanchard. If in Emma's dreams she had seen what Snow White looked like then she would have been so confused as to why she had been standing in front of her. And from what Regina could make of it Emma's dreams sounded like she didn't cast her curse.

"Yeah I think so."

"Okay, let's go get a fire started and check on the breakers just to make sure nothing has been tripped."

Emma nodded crawling out from under the covers, Regina close behind. Once they left out of the room Emma slipped her hand into Regina's. Regina could tell that Emma was nervous about going through the house with nothing but a flashlight. Regina gave Emma's hand a comforting squeeze as they made it to the foyer. When they got to the living room Regina made fast work at building a fire. When she was satisfied with how it looked she went to leave the room to go check the breakers in the basement.

"Where are you going?" Emma asked with a slight panic in her voice.

"I'm just going down to the basement to check the breaker box. I'll be right back." Regina says turning to leave.

Emma jumps up and runs over to Regina taking her hand. "Then I'm coming too. Because in movies bad stuff always happens when people split up and I'm not going to let something bad happen. I really think I should go because you might get scared and you might need me to save you." Emma says trying to play off her fear as concern for Regina's safety.

"Alright, come on let's go down to the basement." Regina says with a slight chuckle.

Emma had been in the basement plenty of times helping Regina with laundry, but now, Emma thought it was much scarier then she remembered. Unconsciously she tightened her hold on Regina's hand as they descended the stairs. By the time that they reached the breaker box in the far corner of the basement Emma had effectively molded her body to Regina's side. Regina opened up the box and saw that the main breaker had been tripped. She flipped the offending breaker and relief wash over her when she heard the different beeping and sounds of things turning back on upstairs.

"Okay, how about we go back upstairs and make some hot chocolate." Regina says taking Emma's hand once again and walking to the stairs.

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The next morning Regina wakes up happy in a way that she will not have to spend her birthday alone. But the happy feeling is soon replaced with ones of worry and fear. Emma, her Emma, the girl that she was so excited to adopt was really here to undo her curse. She couldn't help but feel sad that the life she was so looking forward to was going to have to come to an end. She had truly thought that the curse had finally given her a happy ending that she could enjoy, that her father's death hadn't been for nothing.

Before long she heard some noises from the kitchen and decided to go looking for the source. She pulled on her robe and headed downstairs. As she walks into the kitchen she sees Emma sitting at the island cutting up a few strawberries and adding them to a bowl that already contains what looked to be blueberries. The kitchen timer goes off and Emma hops down from her stool and runs over to the stove and moves a pot off the stove.

Regina finally makes herself known by walking over and turning off the eye that Emma had been using. "What's all this?" Regina asks.

Emma carefully put the hot pot down in the counter before turning to look at Regina. "You weren't supposed to be up yet. I was making breakfast to surprise you. But, since you're up now we can go ahead and eat. I made toast and fruit and oatmeal, mainly because there were instructions on the container." Emma says pulling two bowls out of the cabinet. "OH, I also made you some coffee!" She added excitedly. She was proud of herself for figuring out how to work the coffee pot.

Regina couldn't help but smile at the 9-year-old. She could tell that Emma had tried you hardest to make everything just right. "Well then, let's eat."

Regina helped Emma scoop oatmeal into each of the bowls and she could already tell that Emma did not use the correct amount of water, causing the oatmeal to be very thick and a little burnt from it being stuck to the bottom of the pot from not being stirred. Regina then took a look at the toast which seemed to have been smothered with butter. When Regina poured a cup of coffee though she could smell the strength of it without having to taste. "How many scoops of coffee did you use?" She asked a little afraid of the answer.

"Well I wasn't really sure about the coffee so I saw that the pot had lines for the water so I did 12 water and 12 scoops. I thought that should be enough even with how much coffee you drink in the morning." Emma explains still beaming that she managed to actually cook for Regina without getting hurt or catching the house on fire.

Regina just smiled at Emma. She knew that the girl had tried her best and this seemed to be one of those moment that she was going to have to fake it until she made it. She didn't want to hurt Emma's feelings.

As they were almost finished with the food, Regina noticed a small container wrapped in what looked like printer paper, with small balloons drawn on top in a verity of colors.

Emma noticed that Regina was looking at the gift and started smiling. "That's your birthday present. I wrapped it myself and I hope you don't mind but I had to use your paper from the printer in your office because I didn't know where else to get the paper from. And I didn't know if you had any wrapping paper so I drew balloons on it to make birthdayee." Emma explains running out of breath.

Regina grabs the small box and opens it up. She sees a small necklace with a little golden 'R' in a little golden circle. As it seems this morning has been full of nothing but smiles on Regina's face. She had spent so many birthday's alone, it was nice to have someone to share one with. "Oh Emma, I love it." She says getting up and hugging the small girl. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Emma says returning the hug. "I didn't know what to get you, but I saw that in Mr. Gold's shop and thought that you might like it."

"You went to Mr. Gold's? When?" She asks a little concerned. Even though she knew that Gold didn't pose a threat to Emma while he was cursed but, that didn't keep her mind from what he was like back in the Enchanted Forest.

"I went yesterday before school." Emma says hopping from her seat and starting to clear away the dishes.

After the dishes were washed and put away the pair decided to watch a movie. About half way through Meet the Robinsons, Emma just starts talking. "I wish I could see what the future would be like. I think it would be cool to see what sorts of things will be around. I wish that I was like Luis and was like super smart. Right now, I can't really do anything without messing it up."

Regina scoots closer to Emma and pulls her into a hug. "That's not true. You are an amazing person Emma. And you don't have to be super smart, you just have to be yourself and anyone will see that you are oh so special."

Emma returns the hug and can't help the tears that start to fall. "If I'm so special then why did my parents just leave me on the side of a road when I was a baby? Why didn't anyone ever really want me?"

Regina's heart broke for the little girl. "I wish that I knew the answers to that but I don't. I like to think that everything that happens in our lives leads us to become the people we are meant to be."

"What was it like when you were my age?" Emma asks pulling away wiping away the tears that had streaked her face.

"When I was your age I did a lot of things with my father. He would take me different places with him and teach me many different things." Regina told her.

"What about your mom?"

"My mother, well she was extremely strict. She wanted me to be the perfect daughter and I was never allowed to do anything 'unladylike'."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Emma asks a little confused as to what Regina meant.

"Well, my mother thought that I should focus more on finding a husband that would put me into a position of power, rather than marry the person I wanted." Regina explains thinking of some of the awful things her mother would do.

"So, you were married before?" Emma asks finding out so much that she never knew about Regina. There were no pictures in the house of her family so she never had really thought to ask.

"Yes, I was married to a man that I didn't love. And sometimes I wonder what it would have been like if I had gotten to marry the man that I wanted."

"Who did you want to marry?"

A smile crept onto Regina's face thinking of her late fiancé. "His name was Daniel. He was the stable boy at our estate. He was wonderful, kind and so optimistic. When my mother had arranged for me to marry someone else, we had planned to runaway together and get married."

Emma liked hearing Regina talk about Daniel. She could tell that Regina really loved him. "What happened that made you two not runaway?"

Regina's face changed to one a little sadder. "Well, he died of a… heart attack before we could go. And because of this I ended up marrying the other man."

"But if your mother knew you were in love with Daniel then why would she even arrange for you to get married to someone else?" Emma questioned getting a little upset that Regina's mother would do something like that to her own daughter.

"Well, my mother didn't know about Daniel and me, we had to keep our relationship a secret because she wouldn't understand. In her mind the only way one should get married is if it helps you climb on the social ladder, so, marrying a stable boy would have been a few steps down."

Emma pulls Regina into a hug. "I'm sorry that your mother didn't understand you."

"It's okay. It was a long time ago." Regina says pulling back from Emma. She glances outside and sees that there are several feet of snow on the ground and no snow falling from the sky. "Hey, why don't you run upstairs and bundle up and we can go and make snowmen and forts and whatever else we can think of doing."

"Okay!" Emma said excitedly as she hurried upstairs.

Regina knew that no matter what she was not going to crush Emma by sending her away. She was going to find a way to still adopt Emma without being afraid of her breaking the curse at any time. She made her way upstairs and got ready for their snow day.

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Mr. Gold cautiously walked down the steps leading into the Evil Queen's vault. Searching everywhere in his shop and coming up empty handed he decided that the next best place to look would be here. He saw numerus trunks and cabinets and just didn't know where to look first. So, deciding it would be best to start closest to where he was currently standing, he started looking through each one.

Finally, he made it through to the last trunk. Most of the books that he had found had been personal journals or spell books that belong at one point in time to either himself or to Cora. He hoped that this last box would contain something that would have made this trip worth it. And as luck would have it, it was something worth the trip. This box had various potion ingredients. Some of which he did not have in his shop. Although they were in a land without magic, some magic in potions still carried their value here. They may not be quite as potent as they would have been in the Enchanted Forest, but they would still do what they were meant to.

After taking some of the ingredients he lacked he carefully put everything back the way it had been when he first arrived. He left the vault after making sure he didn't miss anything and continued on to his car. He was slowly starting to form a plan that would help him in the future after the curse was broken. And he desperately hoped that it would happen sooner rather than later.

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As Emma and Regina are outside having an intense snowball fight, Regina freezes as she hears the clock tower chime. She looks to where the clock is just visible through the trees and buildings and notices that it is no longer stuck on 8:15. Her heart stops. She has to do something about this and soon. She can't allow the realization that she had come to last night, affect the way that she thought of Emma. It wasn't the poor girls fault that she ended up in this world alone and without anyone to care for her. In a way it was Regina's own fault that so much of this bad stuff had happened to Emma over her short life. But then again, she didn't tell Snow and her Prince Charming to put their newborn baby into a hunk of enchanted wood. She didn't know that they would have gone that far as to bring harm to their own child just to stop her curse.

At that moment Regina was pulled out of her thoughts by a snowball to the side of her face. When Regina turned to see Emma giggling away behind her wall of snow, she got an evil smirk that spread across her face.

As silently as she could manage she crept along getting closer and closer to Emma, who was too busy giggling to hear the approach, and once close enough Regina lunged tackling the young blonde to the ground and tickling her.

Emma squealed in surprise at the attack and soon it was getting difficult to catch her breath. Regina stopped the tickle attack when she noticed Emma needing to breathe.

"Come on let's go to Granny's for some hot chocolate and lunch." Regina said helping Emma to her feet and brushing off some of the snow in the process.

Once at the diner, the two of them ate their lunch and drank more than one mug of hot chocolate. And after Regina had finished she told Emma that she would be back in about half an hour because she wanted to check on town hall to make sure that the power hadn't gone out during the night. Emma agreed when she was told she could get a piece of dessert.

Regina quickly made her way to the cemetery and to the Mills family crypt. She entered her vault and made her way to the box that contained her potion ingredients. She had thought of this potion while eating lunch. She carefully measured out each ingredient that she needed. Although there was no magic here potions were ancient enough that they would hopefully work. After the potion was complete she drank it.

Forgetting that time was supposed to be standing still, forgetting that Emma was the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming and most importantly forgetting that Emma was the Savior meant to break her curse. Now Emma was just the same little girl that she had been the day before and Regina felt overjoyed that the process of adopting her was already started.

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 **Thank you for reading!**

 **~sparklyunicornvomit**


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